Textile spindle



Feb. 19, 1957 A, R, ANDREWS ETAL 2,781,628

TEXTILE SPINDLE Filed March 9, 1955 4LLN RAYMOND ANDREWS 6 ALBERT' E. WNSLOW BY TEXTILE SPW DLE Allen Raymond Andrews, West Hartford, Conn., and Albert E. Winslow, Greenville, S. C., assignors, by mesne assignments, to Standard Screw Company, a corporation of New Jersey Application March 9, 1955, Serial No. 493,274 6 Claims. (Cl. 57-135) This invention relates to textile spindles such as are used in spinning frames and the like, and more particularly to a spindle of this sort incorporating an improved arrangement for disposing the spindle blade in place for operation.

In copending application Serial No. 447,977, filed August 5, 1954, a textile spindle is disclosed in which the lower portion of the spindle blade is fitted with spaced upper and lower bearing units that are carried in a composite base formed by a pair of complementary housing halves assembled lengthwise about the lower blade portion and having matched transverse grooves forming circumferential seats for the spaced bearing units upon assembly of the composite base. The present invention employs a comparable composite base arrangement for supporting the spindle blade, and further provides an improved modification by which the lower spindle blade bearing unit may be positively fixed with respect to the composite base so as to avoid any possibility of shifting of this lower bearing unit and resulting misalignment of the spindle blade during operation. In addition, the present invention provides for alternative or modified use of the composite base with a textile spindle construction incorporating a stationary blade.

These and other features of the present invention are described in further detail below in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a side elevation of a textile spindle structure embodying the present invention;

. Fig. 2 is a verticalsection taken substantially on the line 2-2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged sectional detail taken substantially on the line 3-3 in Fig. 2; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section of a modified textile spindle structure embodying the present invention.

The textile spindle structure illustrated in Fig. l, as indicated generally by the reference numeral 10, comprises a bobbin mounting means formed by a whorl 12 tted interiorly with a spacer sleeve 14 extending from its top end, and in which the lower end of a iiller section 16 is carried, with the filler section 16 extending to fit a tip 18 at its upper end. Both the whorl 12 and the tip 18 are additionally fitted interiorly with bearing units, as indicated at 20 and 22, which are mounted on a stationary blade 24 extending in spaced relation within the filler section 16. Below the whorl 12, the lower portion of the spindle blade 24 is supported by the previously mentioned composite base or housing formed by longitudinal housing halves 26 and 28, which are exteriorly threaded to receive the usual form of washer 30 and lock nut 32 for clamping the textile spindle in the usual manner on a spindle rail against matched shoulders formed respectively on the housing halves 26 and 28 at 34 and 36.

Interiorly, the complementary housing halves 26 and 28 are formed with matched transverse grooves, as seen at 38 and 40 in Fig. 2, that are spaced at upper and lower positions and proportioned to form circumferential seats for resilient cushioning means 42 and 44 fitting the penited States Patent O vthe lower boot 44,

riphery of annular mounting means 46 and 48 fixed in spaced relation on the lower portion of the spindle blade 24. The annular mounting means 46 and 48 as shown in Fig. 2 take the form of solid collars xed on the stationary blade 24, although bearing units could be employed instead if it were desired to provide a rotating spindle as disclosed inthe above noted copendng application Serial No. 447,977. The resilient cushioning means 42 and 44 fitted at the peripheries of the collars 46 and 48 comprise boots that should be formed of a non-oxidizing and oil-resistant material, preferably a synthetic rubber material such as neoprene or Buna S, and the lower boot 44 is preferably further formed according to the present invention with a pair of diametrically opposite ears 50 arranged longitudinally at its outer surface.

The housing portions 26 and 28 are in turn slotted at 52 and 54 in alignment with the transverse grooves provided therein for the lower collar 48 and boot 44 therefor, as seen at 40 in Fig. 2, to receive the ears 50 on the boot 44 and thereby clamp the earsv 50 between the opposing wall faces of the housing halves 26 and 28 to fix the disposition of this boot 44 when the housing halves 26 and 28 are assembled. A comparable arrangement for the upper boot 42 may be provided if desired, although because a larger upper mounting means 46 may be arranged in the composite base, the larger resulting circumference of the upper boot 42 ordinarily allows adequate frictional contact to provide for gripping it securely by the assembled housing halves 26 and 28. Also, it should be noted that the arrangement of the lower boot 44 with ears 50 so that it may be fixed in place with respect to the housing halves 26 and 28 is of particular importance when a rotating spindle blade is used, because of the greater tendency by a rotating spindle to dislodge the lower boot 44 during operation. With any type of spindle, however, due to its smaller size, is harder to maintain in place, and the arrangement of the present invention provides means for avoiding this difficulty entirely.

The modifedembodiment of the present invention illustrated in Fig. 4 comprises Aa textile spindle structure, as indicated generally by the reference numeral 100, which is identical in all respects with the embodiment 10 just described above, except that the lower portion of the stationary spindle blade 102 is formed with a series of spaced circumferential grooves 104, and the resilient cushioning means for the blade 102 is formed of material like that used for the previously described boots 42 and 44, and is arranged as a split sleeve in longitudinal halves, as at 106, with matched interior transverse ridges 108 spaced therein to seat in these blade grooves 104, and with corresponding exterior transverse ridges 110 formed thereon. The composite base for this spindle structure is in turn formed with longitudinal housing halves as at 112 that are formed with matched interior recesses 114 proportioned lengthwise to receive the cushioning sleeve halves 106, and that are transversely grooved at 116 for seating the exterior ridges on the cushioning sleeve halves 106. This arrangement provides an excellent means for supporting a stationary spindle blade 102 with a structure that is substantially simpler than the arrangement incorporated in the previously described embodiment 10, although it does not offer the advantage of the previously described embodiment 10 in being adapted for use alternatively with either stationary or rotating spindle blades.

This invention has been described in detail above for purposes of illustration only and is not intended to be limited by that description or otherwise except as defined in the appended claims.

We claim:

l. A textile spindle comprising a blade, a whorl thereon, upper and lower annular mounting means fixed in spaced relation on said blade below said whorl, said annular mounting means being fitted peripherally with resilient boots and the boot on at least the lower of said annular mounting means being formed with at least one ear on the outer surface thereof, and a composite base formed by complementary longitudinal housing portions assembled lengthwise about said blade below said whorl and having respectively matched transverse grooves therein forming circumferential seats supporting said annular mounting means at the resilient boots thereon upon assembly of said composite base, at least one of said longitudinal housing portions being slotted adjacent the transverse groove therein for said lower mounting means to receive the outer surface ear on the boot for said mounting means and thereby tix said boot against rotation with respect to said composite base upon assembly of said housing portions.

2. A textile spindle comprising a blade, a whorl thereon, upper and lower annular mounting means fixed in spaced relation on said blade below said whorl, said annular mounting means being fitted peripherally with resilient boots and the boot on at least the lower of said annular mounting means having a pair of diametrically opposite ears formed longitudinally of the exterior surface thereof, and a composite base formed by complementary longitudinal housing halves assembled lengthwise about said blade below said whorl and having respectively matched transverse grooves therein forming circumferential seats supporting. said annular mounting means at f the resilient boots thereon upon assembly of said housing halves, the adjacent wall faces of said housing halves being slotted in alignment with the transverse grooves therein for said lower mounting means to receive the ears on the boot for said mounting means and thereby x said boot against rotation with respect to said composite base upon assembly of said housing halves.

3. A textile spindle comprising a blade, a whorl rotatably mounted on said blade, a rotatable tip carried by said blade, a tubular filler section extending between said whorl and tip and fixed thereto in spaced relation with respect to said blade, upper and lower annular collars xed on said blade in spaced relation below said whorl, said collars being tted peripherally with resilient boots and the boot on the lower of said collars having a pair of diametrically opposite ears formed longitudinally of the exterior surface thereof, and a composite base formed by complementary longitudinal housing halves assembled lengthwise about said blade below said whorl and having respectively matched transverse grooves therein forming circumferential seats gripping said collars at the resilient boots thereon and thereby holding said blade stationary upon assembly of said housing halves, the adjacent wall faces of said housing halves being slotted in alignment With the transverse grooves therein for said lower collar and the ears on the boot for said lower collar being disposed in said slots for xing the disposition of said boot upon assembly of said housing halves.

4. A textile spindle comprising a blade, bobbin supporting means mounted for rotation on said blade, and means for holding said blade stationary while supported for operation, said last mentioned means including a composite base formed by complementary longitudinal housing halves assembled lengthwise about the lower portion of said blade below said bobbin supporting means and having respectively matched interior recesses, and resilient cushioning means seated in said recesses and gripped by said assembled housing halves about the lower portion of said blade over a sufficient surface area thereof and at sufficient mechanical advantage for holding said blade stationary.

5. A textile spindle as dened in claim 4 and further characterized in that the matched interior recesses in said housing halves are spaced upper and lower transverse grooves forming circumferential seats upon assembly of said housing halves, said resilient cushioning means is formed by peripheral boots proportioned to seat in said grooves, and annular collars having the peripheries thereof tted with said boots are xed on said blade.

6. A textile spindle as defined in claim 4 and further characterized in that the lower portion of said blade is formed with a series of spaced circumferential grooves, said resilient cushioning means is formed as a sleeve split in longitudinal halves with interior transverse ridges spaced to seat in said blade grooves and corresponding exterior transverse ridges, and the matched interior recesses in said housing halves are proportioned lengthwise to receive said sleeve halves and are transversely grooved for seating of said exterior ridges.

References Cited in the le of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

